Dyson's heat scorches Tigers in series opener

Later, it would seem an unbelievable story, but early in Friday’s outing, USC pitcher Sam Dyson was worried about the speed on his fastball.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Dyson said. “It came around in the later innings.”

And how.

By the end of the game, Dyson was being timed at 99 mph on the radar gun scoreboard at Carolina Stadium.

It proved a resounding finish to a complete-game win for Dyson in a series-opening 8-3 victory against Auburn.

It was a critical win for the Gamecocks (25-13, 8-8 SEC), opening the second half of the SEC regular season with a victory. They have a chance today to get over .500 in league play for the first time this season.

It was also an important outing for Dyson, with the high-90s timing an added plus.

Although he was 3-1 in his last four starts, Dyson was hit hard in three of them. And during SEC play he had just one quality start before Friday, with an ERA of just under 9.00.

He started Friday well, retiring the Tigers (24-14, 7-9) on just six pitches in the first inning. But he and his coach were concerned.

“Early in the game he was throwing 86, 87, and I go, Sam are you OK, because the ball’s not coming out really good right now,’ coach Ray Tanner said.